(CNN) - Jury selection was set to start on Monday in the corruption trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who is charged along with his wife of improperly accepting gifts from a businessman while in office in exchange for promoting his company.

McDonnell, a one-time rising star in the Republican Party with potential presidential ambitions, and his wife, Maureen, entered the federal courthouse in Richmond for the trial that is expected to last several weeks.

(CNN) - Political rock stars in the night sky. Chris Christie is in early retrograde but he could pull out, Wendy Davis twinkles a little less brightly, while the only star associated with Bob McDonnell these days are worn by lawmen trying to put him in jail. And Rob Ford is, well, Rob Ford – a blinding star.

As long as there has been politics, there have been political rock stars tumble to fallen stars at their own hand.FULL POST

Richmond, Virginia (CNN) - Former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell greeted his pastor, acknowledged the media, and proclaimed himself in good health on Friday in court where he and his wife pleaded not guilty to federal charges they accepted illegal gifts.

Considered a possible running mate for Mitt Romney in 2012 and a potential candidate for the White House itself down the road, a one-time rising star of the Republican Party has experienced a slow-motion fall from prominence over a scandal involving fancy clothes, golf clubs and a guy named Jonnie.FULL POST

(CNN) - Former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell, once a rising star in the Republican Party who was considered potential presidential material, was indicted along with his wife on Tuesday on federal charges of accepting illegal gifts.

The 14-count indictment, culminating a lengthy investigation of their relationship with a Virginia business executive, alleges fraud by a public official, false statements, and obstruction.

(CNN) - Hours after his inauguration as Virginia’s 72nd governor – and in the wake of a scandal that engulfed his predecessor – Terry McAuliffe has made ethics reform his first order of business, instituting tighter limits between public officials and lobbyists like he once was.

The executive order signed by McAuliffe Saturday establishes a gift limit of $100 for all administration officials and their families, including the governor himself. It also creates a three-person ethics commission to enforce the limit and determine whether particular gifts are acceptable.FULL POST

(CNN) - Outgoing Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia proposed $38.3 million in new funds Tuesday for mental health services over the next two years.

While officials say the budget plans and other initiatives have been in the works for a while, the announcement comes less than a month after Democratic state Sen. Creigh Deeds was stabbed more than 10 times by his son, who then shot and killed himself.FULL POST

(CNN) - Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell weighed in on the commonwealth's mental health system Tuesday, more than a week after state Sen. Creigh Deeds' son stabbed his father repeatedly before killing himself.

In an interview with radio station WTOP, the Republican governor also said he thinks the GOP candidate in the Virginia attorney general's race should request a recount after official results Monday showed the Democrat won by a razor-thin margin.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - Prosecutors hope to determine by Labor Day whether Virginia's first family broke any laws regarding a gift-giving scandal that has engulfed Gov. Bob McDonnell and tarnished the once-sterling reputation of the Republican politician, a source with knowledge of the matter told CNN.

Lawyers for McDonnell and his wife met with prosecutors in the city of Alexandria on Monday as the Justice Department sought clarity over previously undisclosed gifts given to the governor and his family by the chief executive of a troubled dietary supplement company.